Automatically adjustable edge guide for sewing machines



1945. w. KNEiSSLER AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE EDGE GUIDE FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 10-, 1943 "11,150.01:nxuuunugxy. ""'"KIAVAVAVKIKIKIKIAVAVA(All \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\l u I l Patented Feb. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT VIOFFIICE Amo A-rIoALLYAnJUsTABLE-Enmi emoc FOR-SEWING MACHINES Walter Kneissler, Roselle, N- 1., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J2, a corporation of New Jersey Application-Decehrberlfl, 1943,; Serial No. 513,670 BCIaims. .(01. 112-40)- This invention relatestowork-guiding devices for sewing-machines and it has as a. primary object to provide' an edge-guide and means for automatically adjusting theposition of the edge-guide relative to the? needle in accordance with. the

thicknessz'of the work. The invention is particularly useful in hosiery seaming machines andxit willr therefore, be shown and. described in conjunction with'thattype. of machine: but it is" to: be understood that it. is not limited thereto.

' shown herein, the inventionis embodiediin a. fabricuncnrling. and-guidingzdevice of the type commonly used on hosiery seaming machines.

' device illustrated. is an improvement of? the device which forms'the subject of my'United StatesPatent No. 2,338,043, December 28,. 1943'.

.The. blanks of knit material from which full.-

tashioned stockings are commonly made vary in thickness for different partsof the stockings For example, the. parts. which. aredesigned to be come the toe. and heel portions. of the foot. and the top or welt portion of the leg, towhich. the garter isto be attached, are usually madethicker than the portion which isdesigned tobeco'me the leg'of: the stocking.

Sewing machines. customarily used to convert the blanks mto completed stockings usually include a horizontally reciprocating needle, a pair oi teed-cups presenting the-work to the needle in a vertical plane, a device for uncurling the edge of the: work, and-an edgesguide for so positioning the: edge of the work relative to the needle that the needle will pierce the work at. a. predetermined distance from the edge thereof;

In. the interest of strength and appearance, it

is desirable that theneedlebe caused to penetrate the work at. a greater distance from the edge thereof and thereby make. a heavier seam in the thicker, normally unexposed portions of the stocking than in the thinner leg portion thereof;

This invention therefore has as anobject to provide, in an uncurling guide. having the usual edge-guide for the work, means: actuated byzthe work: and: in accordance with the thickness there the work at which the needle will penetrate the work when sewing the thinner material. With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawin of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilledinthe art.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an uncurling guide embodying the present invention, showing it in its normal position relative to the needle and one of the feed-cups of a stocking seaming machine.

Fig. 2 is a view looking in the direction indicated by the arrow: t in Fig. 1, showing the uncurling guide in its normal position relative to the needle and to both feed-cups of a stocking seaming machine.

Fig. 3 isan enlarged front view of thelower portion of the improved uncurling guide, showing in full'and dotted lines the extreme positions of the uncurling plates and the edge-guide.

Fig. 4' is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on the lines 45-4 of Figs. 1 and 2 with a portion thereof broken away.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig; 3. I

Fig. 6" is a side elevation. of a portion of a stitched stocking, showing the line of needle penetration at different distances from the edge thereof proportionate to the thickness of the stocking material.

Fig. '7 is a top edge View of the portion of th stockingshown in. Fig. 6 showing more clearly the variati'on in thickness in variousparts thereof.

eye-pointed needle 5 carried by the needle-bar.

Such machinesalso include a looper mechanism which cooperates with the needle in forming overed-ge stitches but inasmuch as that mechanism forms, no part of thisinvention, illustration. and description thereof. is deemed unnecessary. As shown in Fig; 2, the uncurling; guide, which. is designated generally as G, also is supported from mounted on the stud 3 so that, if desired, the

entire uncurler may be swung out of operative position, it is locked in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 during the operation of the machine and therefore may be considered to be a fixed supporting member insofar as operation of the device is concerned.

Located beneath the member 1 is a horizonproportionate to the thickness of the work. This means will now be described.

Referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen thatthe pivot on which the uncurler I3 is fulcrumed is a common screw stud having a cylindrical portion 2t! on which the uncurler is journaled and a threaded portion 20 screwed into the head, 14. The pivotal mounting "of the uncurler.

I1 is somewhat difierent from that of uncurler l 8. In the mounting of the uncurler I! the member I9 is in the form of a pin journaled, at M and I4? in the head M. The uncurler I1 is fixedly secured to the pin H] by a set screw 28. At

one end, the pin l9 carries a bifurcated leverarm'28 which straddles the .stud I3 and bears upon the shank 26 of stop-nut 26, as shown most clearly in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The outer portion of thelever-arm 29 carries the substantially tally disposed substantially H-shaped head l4 (see Fig. 4) from which depends a shank [5 of a central fabric-guiding plate l6. Cooperating with, the guide-plate 16, in presenting the work to the stitch-forming mechanism, are uncurlers Hand l8 which are pivotally mounted, intermediate-their ends, by pivots l9 and 20, respectively, carried by the head M. The members i! and 18 have portions projecting upwardly from their pivot points and have mounted therebetween a coil spring 2| which tends to separate the upper ends of the members, thereby tending to press their lower work-engaging ends l'l, l8 toward the plate l6.

Carried by the guide-plate It and projecting from opposite sides thereof, is a stud 22, the lower edge 22 'of which-serves as a guide for the upper edge of the work. By varying the height of the stud 22 relative to the needle, it is possible to vary the distance from the'edge of the work at which the needle will penetrate the work. The members I? and I8 are provided with clearance apertures 23 for the stud 22.

i The head I4 carries a vertically arranged hollow stud 24 (Fig. 1) which is slidingly fitted within the bore II in the member 1. A coil spring 25 located within the stud 24 has its upper end in contact with the end wall of the bore II and bears at its lower end against the bottom wall of the bore in the stud 24. Thus the spring 25 constantly urges the head I4, andthe parts carried thereby, downwardly. Downward movement of thoseparts is limited by a stop-nut 26 threaded upon the stud l3l Therefore, by adjusting the nut 26 on the stud I3 the edge-guiding stud 22 maybe shifted verticallyjtherby to predetermine the distance from the edge of the work that the needle will penetrate the same. Frictionally secured upon the shank 26 of the stop-nut 26 is a collar 21 carrying graduation marks, numbered 1 to 5, adapted to cooperate with a sub-- stantially fixed mark a: later to be referred to. By rotating the nut 26 and the collar 21 any desired predetermined setting of the edge-guide, relative to the needle, may be effected. This setfixed mark 3:, hereinbefore mentioned, which cooperates with the graduations on the collar 21. The free end of the lever arm 29 underlies a portion of the head 14 and is maintained in contact with the shank 26 of the stop-nut 25 by the downward pressureexerted by the spring 25. Inasmuch as the uncurler I'I isfixedly secured to the pin 19 by set screw 28 it follows that outward movement of the lower end ll" of the member ll, that is from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 to the position shown in full lines, will cause the pin I 9 and lever-arm 29..to be turned clockwise about the axis of the .pin. Furthermore, as the outer end of arm 29 rests upon the shank of stop-nut326 on the stationary stud l3 and as the nut cannot be pushed downwardly by the arm, it follows that in such turning movement of the lever-arm it will react upon the pin l9, the head M and all parts carried thereby, thus shifting them vertically from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 to the position shown in full lines. This upward movement of the parts, including the guide-plate I6 lifts the work-engaging lower edge 22 of the stud-22 from the level indicated by the dotted line y in Fig. 3 vto the level indicated by the full line 2, thereby positioning the work-guiding edge 22 materially further above the line of needle penetration, which is represented by the dot-dash line n-in Fig. 3.

Figs. 6 and 7 represent a folded stocking blank having relatively thin portions a, such, for example, as the leg portion of a stocking and relatively thick portions 1) such as the toe, heel or Welt portions.

If this blank is passed through. the uncurler with one of the thinner portionsv a on each side of the center guide-plate Hi the needle will peneting is usually made in accordance with the thinvided means for automatically varying the posi tion of the edge-guide relative to the needle,

whereby the distance from the edge of the work at which the needle will penetrate the Work is trate the work along the line a which, it will be seen, is relatively close to the edge e of the work. When the thickened portions b of the blank pass between the work-engaging ends I? and 18' of the uncurlers and the center guideplate, the members I! and I8 will be forced outwardly about their pivots l9 and 29 and away from the guide-plate 16. This movement of the member I] rocks the lever-arm '29 which re sults in the lifting of the edge-guiding stud 22 and, as the edge of the work is kept in contact with the lower edge fof this stud, the edge'of the work blank also will be raised relative to the horizontal plane of needle reciprocation with the result that the needle will penetrate the thicker work at a greater distance from the edge thereo as indicated by b in Fig. 6.

'From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention provides manually adjustable means for causing the needle to penetrate the work at any desired distance (within certain limits) from the edge thereof and automatic means, controlled by the work, for varying that distance in proportion to variations in thickness of the work.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine having a pair of feed cups and a horizontally reciprocating needle, an uncurling guide including a center guide-plate, a work-uncurling member located at each side of said guide-plate and each adapted to bear upon a work-piece passing between said member and said plate, an edge-guide carried by said plate at a predetermined distance above the horizontal plane of reciprocation of said needle, and means automatically brought into effective action by the work-piece for varying the elevation of said edge-guide relative to said needle.

2. In a sewing machine having a pair of feed cups and a horizontally reciprocating needle, an

plane of reciprocation of said needle, manually actuable means for initially setting said edgeguide at a predetermined elevation above said needle, and means automatically brought into effective action by the work-piece for varying the elevation of said edge-guide relative to said needle.

3. In a sewing machine having a pairof feed cups and a horizontally reciprocating needle, an uncurling guide including a normally fixed supporting member, a center guide-plate and a pair of work-uncurling members mounted on said supporting member for vertical adjustment, an edgeguide carried by said plate, manually adjustable means for initially positioning said guide-plate and work-uncurling members relative to said supporting member thereby to position said edgeguide a predetermined distance above the horizontal plane of reciprocation of said needle, and means actuated by a work-piece in passing between one of said uncurling. guides and said guide-plate for varying the elevation of said edge-guide relative to said needle in proportion to the thickness of the work-piece,

4. In a sewing machine having a pair of feed cups and a horizontally reciprocating needle, an uncurling guide including a center guide-plate, a work-uncurling member located at each side of said guide-plate and each adapted to bear upon a work-piece passing between said member and said plate, an edge-guide carried by said plate at a predetermined distance above the horizontal plane of reciprocation of said needle, and means actuated by the work-piece for automatically varying the elevation of said edge-guide relative to said needle in accordance with the varying thickness of the work-piece.

5. In a sewing machine having a work-feeding means and a reciprocating needle, work delivery means including an edge-guide for presenting work to the needle with an edge thereof at a predetermined distance to one side of the line of needle reciprocation, and means actuated by the work for automatically varying the position of said edge-guide relative to the needle in proportion to the thickness of the work.

6. In a sewing machine having a work-feeding means and a reciprocating needle, work delivery means including a shiftable edge-guide for presenting work to the needle with an edge thereof at a predetermined distance to one side of the line of needle reciprocation, a pair of relatively movable members engaging opposite faces of a work-piece and between which th work-piece moves in its passage to the edge-guide, spring means urging one of said members into pressure contact with the work-piece, and means actuated by said one of said members for shifting said edge-guide, thereby to vary the distance between said edge-guide and needle in proportion to the thickness of the work passing between said members.

'7. A fabric uncurling and guiding device for a sewing machine having a reciprocating needle, comprising a supporting member, a guide-plate and a pair of spring-pressed uncurler members of the work between said one of said uncurler members and said guide-plate.

8. A fabric uncurling and guiding device for a sewing machine having a horizontally reciprocating needle, comprising a supporting member, a head member carried by and vertically movable on said. supporting member, a guide-plate and a spring pressed uncurler member carried by said head member, said uncurler member pressing a work-piece against one side of said guide-plate, an edge-guide carried by said guideplate for positioning the edge of the work relative to the needle, a spring urging said guideplate and uncurler downwardly, a manually adjustable stop for limiting the downward movement of said guide-plate, edge-guide and uncurler, a pivot-pin by means of which said uncurler is pivotally attached to said head member, a lever-arm carried by said pivot pin and'engaging said stop, said lever-arm acting, upon outward movement of said uncurler by an increase in the thickness of work passing between the uncurler and the guide-plate, to lift said uncurler, guide-plate and edge-guide in proportion to the thickness of the work.

9. A fabric uncurling and guiding device for a sewing machine having a reciprocating needle, comprising a supporting member, a stud depending therefrom, a head member carried by said supporting member and vertically movable relative thereto, a normally fixed stop-nut on said stud and underlying said head member to limit the downward movement. thereof, a guide-plate and a pair of spring pressed uncurlers carried by said head member, each of said uncurlers pressing a work-piece against one side of said guideplate, an edge-guide carried by said guide-plate for positioning the edge of the work-pieces relative to the needle, a lever-arm fulcrumed on said head member and having one end engaging said stop-nut, and means actuated by the outward movement of one of said uncurlers for turning 

